Moments
by Saun
Summary: Setsuna's Day: All Outers are present.


Moments  
by Saun haruka_loves_michiru@hotmail.com  
Rated:PG  
Outer Senshi  
Disclaimer: Sailor Moon & Company do not belong to me. I just   
borrowed them for a bit.  
  
Garnet eyes slit open and looked at the ceiling. One,   
two, three...'Where's the fourth one? Ah, right there!'   
Setsuna smiled softly. A while ago Hotaru had conspired with   
her Haruka-papa to put glow in the dark stars on the ceiling   
over Setsuna's bed. Interestingly enough, Setsuna had found   
that once she had become used to them, they became a comfort.  
Setsuna sat up, put on her slippers, and pulled her robe   
over her slender shoulders. She stopped before the mirror and   
began to work the tangles from her long thick locks. As she   
manipulated them, each strand came free and fell back to its   
resting-place, Setsuna loved this particular brush - it resisted   
static charge. Once when she had tried to use one of Michiru's,   
Haruka had wanted to know if she had stuck her finger into an   
electrical socket. Setsuna allowed herself a small half smile   
at the memory. The green haired woman padded through the dark   
house. She wandered into the kitchen and started to boil water   
for her morning cup of tea. When her tea was ready, Setsuna   
went into the living room to greet the rising sun. Her favorite   
fashion magazine had arrived yesterday, but she had been very   
tired and decided to save it for the morning. The garnet eyed   
woman flipped through the pages, marking some for later   
reference. Somewhere she heard a door close. 'Time to start   
breakfast.' Setsuna went back into the kitchen. By the time  
a freshly showered Michiru appeared, she had the table set.  
  
"Ohayo!"  
  
"Didn't you just take a shower last night?" Setsuna   
asked with a smile.  
  
Michiru giggled. "Hai," she answered around a   
mouthful of tea.  
  
"Any excuse to play in the water," Setsuna teased   
with a shake of her head.  
  
"Mmm," Michiru answered noncommittally.  
  
"Is Haruka up?"  
  
"I don't think she's going to grace us with her presence   
this morning."  
  
"Wear her out, did you?"  
  
Michiru turned around, eyes wide with feigned shock.  
"Set-suna!"   
  
The time-senshi's eyes narrowed as she gave the younger   
woman a disbelieving look.  
  
Michiru lost it then and started to laugh. "I gave it my   
best shot," the aqua haired nymph confided with a wink. "Oh!   
What time is it?"  
  
Setsuna glanced at her wrist before realizing that   
she'd forgotten her watch, so she simply concentrated for a   
moment. A slow smile lit her face. "Time to wake up Hotaru!"  
  
"Oh goody!" Michiru said as she set her teacup on   
the table.  
  
Hotaru's door flew wide open. The little girl tried   
to snuggle deeper into the warm covers.  
  
"Hotaru," Michiru called, "time to get up!"  
  
There was a little growl from the bed. Setsuna   
pulled at the covers, tugging them down past little pink toes.  
  
"Ho-taru," Michiru called softly, wrapping her   
elegant fingers around little ankles. "Wake-up!" she yelled  
and pulled the squealing little girl to the end of the bed.   
Hotaru shrieked with delight as her two mothers surrounded her.  
  
"Good morning," Setsuna said in English.  
  
"Good morning, Setsuna-mama," the little girl answered  
back.  
  
"Sugoi!" Michiru said with pride.  
  
"Arigato, Michiru-mama," Hotaru said beaming at her  
parent, little white teeth flashing.  
  
She presented such a cute picture that both Michiru   
and Setsuna had to laugh. They wrapped their arms around   
Hotaru and hugged her breathless.  
  
"There is entirely too much "having fun" going on   
in here," came a husky voice from the doorway.  
  
"Ohayo, Haruka-papa!" Hotaru squirmed away from   
her mothers and ran to her Papa.  
  
Haruka hugged her daughter. "Isn't it time for  
someone to get ready for school, Hime-chan?"  
  
Hotaru giggled and raced down the hall and into  
the bathroom.  
  
"You got up," Michiru commented, giving her   
lover a kiss.  
  
Haruka hugged her girlfriend's waist. "I wonder  
why? My pillow got up and left." Michiru chuckled.  
  
Setsuna smiled at her housemates and headed   
back to her room. She pulled out her panty hose, a   
form fitting black skirt, and a white sleeveless blouse.   
Dressed, she slipped on black flats and pulled out her   
hairpins. With practiced ease she pulled her hair up   
into its customary bun.  
  
She picked up her car keys and wandered back  
out. Haruka was seated at the breakfast table, perusing   
the sports section. Hotaru was intent on putting her   
sharpened pencil board and box into her satchel.  
  
"Hotaru, are you ready?"  
  
"Hai, Setsuna-mama."  
  
"We're off," Setsuna told Haruka.  
  
"Is it that time all ready?" Haruka checked   
her wristwatch.  
  
"Ja ne, Haruka-papa." Hotaru gave her Papa a   
kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Sore ja, Hime-chan."  
  
Michiru walked in wearing one of her sundresses. She   
was carrying a canvas and her box of art supplies.  
  
"Isn't it time you two got going?" Michiru asked,   
seeing her daughter and best friend still present.  
  
"Mata ne, Michiru-mama!"   
  
Michiru knelt down to hug Hotaru and straightened  
the collar of her uniform. "Ja ne and have fun!"  
  
Setsuna closed the door behind her and trailed   
after the bounding Hotaru to the car. The time senshi   
unlocked the maroon mini van and slid into the driver's   
seat. Hotaru hopped in beside her, humming a sweet little   
tune.  
  
The green haired woman pulled out of the driveway   
and headed toward Hotaru's school.  
  
"Did you remember to get your lunch?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Haruka-papa didn't pack it, did she?" Setsuna   
wanted to know as images various junk foods flitted  
through her mind.  
  
"No, Michiru-mama wouldn't let her."  
  
Setsuna nodded reassured.  
  
They pulled up at the school. She watched as   
her daughter hopped out and waved good bye before racing  
off with a group of her friends. The green haired woman   
sighed softly and drove to the observatory.  
  
First thing after signing in she went to her  
locker and pulled on her white lab coat, clipping her ID   
tag to the lapel.  
  
"Ohayo!" several voices called to her.   
  
Setsuna nodded in acknowledgment and softly   
answered, "Ohayo."   
  
At her computer she logged in and called up   
photographs of a distant part of another galaxy. Taking   
shots of the night sky that had been taken six nights   
apart she began the arduous task of comparing them,   
looking for any differences. The "blink technique"   
was the process by which new planets were found. The   
word planet meant "wanderer" and Setsuna scoured these   
photos marking any objects that had moved for further  
research. For some it was merely a scientific exercise,  
but for Setsuna it held a second purpose. Not only did she  
note each planet as a place for possible life, but she also  
marked it as an origin of a possible threat.  
  
After finding two objects that appeared to have   
motion, she sat down to calculate the mathematical dimension   
and positions of the unknowns. 'Was it a planet? Or maybe a   
comet?' She wrote two reports cataloguing her findings and   
went to find her supervisor, only to find that he was already  
at lunch.  
  
Sighing, she headed back to her desk for her keys.   
Setsuna declined a few lunch invitations and went to her   
locker to retrieve her Pokémon bento box. Setsuna wasn't   
obsessed with Pokémon, that was one of Hotaru's passions; it  
was merely convenient. The child had too many to use them   
all herself, so Setsuna borrowed it when she needed one.   
That she borrowed the same one every time was only   
coincidence. If she thought the illustrations on this   
particular box were kawaii, well... that was why she bought  
it in the first place. For Hotaru.  
  
She briskly walked the two blocks to the park. Under  
a cherry blossom tree she delicately ate her sushi and   
watched people as they passed. How long had she done this?   
Thousands of years observing people and lives -- always on   
the outside. Setsuna let her mind slip back into the detached   
mode she had used to keep herself from feeling too deeply. Her  
life in recent years hadn't allowed her that luxury. She had a   
family now. Granted, unconventional, but happy nonetheless.   
Haruka, Michiru, and Hotaru meant the world to her. Although   
being a senshi was important and she deeply loved Small Lady  
and Usagi-chan, there was still a reservation there. With her   
little family now there was love and laughter and she relished  
every moment. Well not every moment... Haruka was hot   
headed and Michiru sometimes acted like Martha Stewart,  
but Setsuna could forgive them their faults. The green haired   
woman suddenly laughed at her own silliness.   
  
She could still remember one time when she seemed to   
have an endless parade of unwanted guests as she made dinner.   
Every time she had shooed Michiru away from poking at the   
soufflé, she turned around to find Haruka "tasting" the   
soup with big slurping gulps. Finally pushed beyond her   
limits, Setsuna had ordered them both out of the   
kitchen, yelling until they obeyed. As the pair   
wandered away she heard Haruka comment with the pride of  
accomplishment, "It's good to see her angry again" and   
seen Michiru nod her agreement. Something inside Setsuna   
had begun to heal then and there, allowing her to relax  
into family life and raising Hotaru naturally.  
  
Setsuna eased from her reverie and knew instinctively   
that it was time to go back to the office. She gathered her   
box and walked back, making it just in time. She had a staff   
meeting, more calibrations to make, and then she was off...to  
her second job.  
  
The garnet eyed woman stepped out the front door at   
4:00 p.m. This was when she usually left work, but Haruka and   
Michiru thought she worked until 7:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. every  
night. Setsuna left her van at the observatory and walked   
around the corner. With a flash of light Meioh Setsuna   
disappeared and Sailor Pluto stepped into the chamber that   
held the time gate.   
  
"Konbanwa, Sailor Pluto."  
  
"Diana," Setsuna nodded to the little gray kitten.  
  
Diana leapt to her feet and ran to Pluto; the little   
bell on her collar rang out echoing in the relatively empty   
chamber.   
  
"I'll be back soon, Pluto-sama," the polite child   
trilled before going home for dinner.  
  
Sailor Pluto stood in front of the gate, seeking   
any signs of disturbance. Then she willed time to move   
forward on its present course -- still nothing out of the  
ordinary. Well, this was just the beginning of her various  
checks. Pluto continued to make sure that time flowed as  
it should... or more correctly, as her liege would want it to.  
  
At 7:30 p.m. Setsuna arrived home. She found Michiru   
in the kitchen setting out the food. Hotaru was busily reciting   
a poem that she had to memorize for school the next day. Michiru   
looked up and smiled when she saw her housemate.   
  
"Konbanwa."  
  
"Konbanwa," Setsuna answered.  
  
Haruka breezed in at just that moment. "Has anyone   
seen my T-shirt with the sponsor logo on it? I really need   
to pack it."  
  
"You leave tomorrow?" Setsuna asked her blonde friend.   
  
"Yeah and I'll be back in three days."  
  
"Check the washer, Love," Michiru called to her  
lover. "And hurry, it's almost time for dinner."  
  
Haruka shot out like a bullet and returned with  
the shirt over her shoulder. She was heading back to the   
bedroom when Michiru cleared her throat. Haruka obediently   
turned around and grinned at the beautiful violinist.   
"Thank you, dear."  
  
"You're very welcome," Michiru answered. Haruka   
winked at her and vanished.  
  
Setsuna sat down at the table and stretched her  
long legs. It wasn't too much longer before Haruka   
returned and slid into her customary place at the dinner  
table. Michiru served them. Setsuna enjoyed dinner as she  
listened to Hotaru tell the adults about her day.   
  
After dinner Hotaru and Haruka went to play   
Nintendo together. Michiru decided the time was right for  
a pedicure, so she stretched out in the living room and   
began to play with her already perfect nails.  
  
"Which one do you like?" Setsuna glanced at her  
friend who was holding up two shades of nail polish. One   
was a shell pink and the other was a light peach coral.  
  
"The pink," Setsuna answered and went back to   
reading the newsletter she had received in the mail.   
Just then they heard shouting erupt from the other side   
of the house.  
  
"Haruka-papa, that's not fair!"  
  
"Too bad. I'm winning!."  
  
"Nooo!"  
  
As the evening went on, Setsuna had a glass of wine  
and read the morning paper with her feet lying in Michiru's   
lap as the aqua haired woman painted her toenails a dark red   
color.   
  
"I think it looks very becoming," Michiru mentioned   
more than once and Setsuna noted the hint that Michiru would   
like it if she spent more time playing with make up.  
  
Haruka came in a little later and told them that   
Hotaru was getting ready for bed. The three went to tuck   
Hotaru in together.  
  
"Goodnight, Hime-chan." Haruka leaned down for  
her kiss. This one would have to last her for three days at least.  
  
"Goodnight, Papa."  
  
"Aishiteru, Hotaru," Michiru said, straightening   
the covers. "Sleep tight."  
  
"Night night, Michiru-mama." Already her little   
violet eyes were sliding closed.  
  
Setsuna kissed the top of Hotaru's head. As the last   
one out the door, she closed it gently behind her.  
  
The three grown-ups went back into the living room   
and talked softly together.  
  
"So," Haruka teased, "did they finally figure out   
that Pluto isn't really a planet?"  
  
"Not again," Setsuna groaned.  
  
"Made it by the skin of your teeth, did you?" Haruka  
was grinning unrepentantly at her housemate.   
  
Setsuna dropped her tone to one that implied   
confidentiality, "Well, we did discover that Uranus has no   
core whatsoever, so we are going to rename it 'the great big   
cloudy comet'." Setsuna made motions for emphasis.  
  
Haruka narrowed her eyes. Michiru laughed at the   
two, but when her eyes met Haruka's they promptly darkened   
to something more.  
  
"I'm going to bed," Setsuna said loudly and slid   
off the couch.  
  
"Good night!" she heard them call after her as she   
hurried down the hall. Once in the bathroom Setsuna   
loosened her bun and brushed out her hair. She happened to   
catch the reflection of the tub in the mirror. A hot bath   
would be just the thing. Impulsively, the senshi of time   
turned on the water. Just a little more hot than cold. She  
kicked off her slippers and slid her stockings off, draping  
them through the towel rack. Her skirt, blouse, and leopard  
print underwear soon followed. Setsuna stretched in front of  
the mirror and critically examined her flat stomach and   
honey colored skin. She quickly decided that nothing had   
really changed in the past two thousand years, so with a   
sigh she stepped under the shower and let the heated water  
roll over her skin.   
  
She rocked back and forth for a moment, simply   
letting the warmth strip away the day's grime. Reaching   
blindly for her shampoo, Setsuna bypassed Haruka's shampoo   
and conditioner in one and Michiru's Deep Shine for her own   
Texture shampoo. She then began the arduous task of   
shampooing her long thick hair. It took her a while, but   
after she conditioned she hopped out of the shower to find   
the tub full. Setsuna slid under the hot water up to her neck.   
  
A sigh of elation left her lips as she felt her   
muscles being reduced to mush. The water rose with her soft   
sloshing movements and suddenly Setsuna found herself   
starring into an unblinking black eye as Hotaru's rubber  
ducky floated past her nose. The garnet eyed woman lifted   
her chin from the water and blew on the yellow plastic   
watching the ripples carry the ducky toward her feet.   
  
As much as she longed to soak, Setsuna knew she   
had to be up early the next morning, so she cut her bath   
short, dragging her reluctant form from the cooling water.   
She reached for her scarlet robe, but only succeeded in   
hooking Haruka's black one. She returned it and retrieved   
her own, slipping it over her shoulders and belting it   
securely. She also grabbed her towel and flipped her head   
upside down before wrapping her incredibly long waves of   
hair into a turban.   
  
Next, she brushed and flossed. Finally, she   
relieved herself. Finished, she tossed her dirty clothes   
in the hamper before picking up her shoes and hose and   
heading for her bedroom. As she passed by Haruka and   
Michiru's room she thought she heard faint noises from   
within, so she hurried down the hall to the sanctuary   
of her own domain.  
  
Setsuna dried herself thoroughly. She slipped   
on her silk pajamas and eased back the covers. Some   
nights she read, but tonight she was too tired. She   
simply turned off her bedside lamp and lay there in the   
darkness counting the stars on the ceiling. Even though   
her body was exhausted, her brain refused to rest. As she   
contemplated the bright plastic stickers, her mind wandered   
back to the objects she had located in the photographs   
earlier. So beautiful and distant, but also the possible  
places from which new enemies could come. Who was she to   
say whether they were indeed enemies. Perhaps they were   
more like the Starlights. Could she and the other   
Outers relax their guard enough to find out? She   
shifted restlessly. Then her thoughts drifted to   
fashion designing. She thought briefly of those   
science fiction shows Haruka liked to watch and how all   
the people of a planet wore the same basic outfit.   
Maybe if Neo Queen Serenity decided on such a thing, she  
would allow Pluto to design it. She shook her head firmly  
to dislodge the frivolous thought. What she really needed   
was sleep. Finally, turning her back to the glowing sky,   
Setsuna rolled onto her stomach and pulled the pillows   
comfortingly close. Sometime in the following minutes   
her breathing regulated and her heartbeat slowed as sleep   
stole gently over her.  
  
Author's Notes: One of three: Moments, Measures and MPH   
(miles per hour) An overall excercise in   
perspective. Drop me a note if you liked it. I am a bit   
behind right now, I caught the flu and then it left me  
with a a nasty cold:-P Enjoy, minna!  
  
  



End file.
